One of southern Chile’s notable plants is the nalca, or giant Chilean rhubarb.

The nalca plants grow massive leaves and can reach up to 2 meters in size (over 6 feet).

The broad leaves of the nalca make for a great impromptu umbrella or sun shade.

The nalca leaves are also used to cover layers of food in the traditional curanto, a seafood feast cooked in a hole in the ground.

Like rhubarb, the stalk of the nalca is edible and you’ll find it for sale in Chilean markets like the feria, dedicated produce markets, or even from street vendors in southern Chile. Locals will also turn the stalk into jams.

The younger the plant, the better the taste. A traditional way of eating the nalca is by peeling the stalk and then putting some salt on the end.

Cerro Castillo

She tells me that “the castle with the flag is where the President stays whenever she visits the 5th region.”

The Cerro Castillo is a hill located on the south side of the mouth of the Marga Marga river in Viña del Mar in Chile. It gets its name from colonial times, where it was built as a fortress because of its strategic location.

Vergara Pier

You can view a virtual panorama of Muelle Pier at: vrpanoramas.cl

Plaza Mexico

Plaza Mexico is a central plaza that is popular for meeting up with friends and is a great place to then take readily available transportation to where ever you want to go.

Train / Metro

Similar to the Metro in Santiago, this one is a metropolitan railway that connects the communities of Valparaíso, Viña del Mar, Quilpué, Villa Alemana and Limache.

According to Chilean officials, the volcano and surrounding area are still not safe. Reuters reports:

“We received the latest report from the Universidad Catolica … and the only thing I can tell you is that the volcano is exactly as dangerous as it was before,” Interior Minister Edmundo Perez-Yoma told reporters.

“We were hoping we might have better news, but unfortunately we don’t.”

The government has not dismissed the possibility of relocating the small town and making the whole area a no-go zone for years to come, but many locals have said they want to return to their homes in Chaiten.

Hi Pepe. Can you get me a picture of the Paseo Ahumada? It’s been 30 years since I’ve been back to my homeland.

You can see pictures of Paseo Ahumada here:
http://www.flickr.com/search/?q=paseo%20ahumada&w=all

What is Paseo Ahumada?

The Paseo Ahumada is a pedestrian thoroughfare situated in the heart of Santiago, Chile, between the Plaza de Armas de Santiago and la Alameda del Libertador Bernardo O’Higgins and runs north to south. At each end you’ll find the metro stations Universidad de Chile and Plaza de Armas.

It is considered the most active and commercial center of the city and boasts the highest office rent and sales prices in Latin America.

A friend wrote and sent me some links of pictures to share with you. See for yourself how beautiful Chile is:

http://marcelo.ubb.cl/perl/home.pl

http://www.ubiobio.cl/~gpoo/chilelindo/chilelindo-0.html

http://usuarios.lycos.es/lorca/prod01.htm

http://www.chile.no/contenido.php?id=contenido/turismo.inc